England women squad revealed for World Cup qualifier against Russia
Tuesday 5 September 2017 18:11, UK
England have named the women's 26-strong squad for the World Cup qualifier against Russia on September 19 in Tranmere.
It is the same group of players from this summer's European Championships who reached the semi-finals except injured goalkeeper Karen Bardsley and the recently-retired Alex Scott.
There are call-ups for Liverpool captain Gemma Bonner, Arsenal striker Danielle Carter, Birmingham City defender Jessica Carter, Reading goalkeeper Mary Earps and Manchester City forward Melissa Lawley.
England manager Mark Sampson said: "The Euros were a great learning experience for us, with four wins, one defeat and reaching a second consecutive major championship semi-final.
"The team will take a lot of belief from the results and learn from what was a fantastic experience.
"Now we look forward to our World Cup qualification campaign. As we begin against the second seeds in the group, it's a tough start. We will prepare well next week with the aim of getting off to a winning start against Russia in Tranmere."
England captain Steph Houghton added: "We're really looking forward to getting back into England camp and all of the staff and players working together again.
"All our focus is on qualifying for the World Cup and building some real momentum throughout this campaign.
"Russia will be one of the toughest teams we face in the group so we'll need to be at our best for this game.
"We had such fantastic support during the Euros both in the Netherlands and back home and we're hoping that as many people as possible come to Prenton Park for the game and get behind us."
